Houthis shoot down Saudi drone

Houthi militias claim to have shot down a drone flying over the Ailab area in the Saudi Arabian province of Asir yesterday. It was downed with an anti-aircraft missile, say the rebels.

This is the fourth time in two months that the Houthis have shot down a Saudi aircraft, with cross-border exchanges of fire increasing. During a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, the Houthis were condemned for targeting the border of Saudi Arabia; their siege of Yemen’s third largest city, Taiz, was also criticised in the international forum. Forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh were also condemned for their role in the siege.

Yemen has been locked in a bitter battle between Shia Houthi militias allied with pro-Saleh forces and troops loyal to the government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. The government forces are supported by local tribes and resistance fighters and backed by the Saudi-led coalition, which conducts air strikes against the rebels.